Dustborn

Blacklist Universe

SKIP

The reviewer argues that professional critics gave Dustborn positive reviews due to ideological alignment, while actual players on Steam report significant gameplay and narrative issues. Multiple player reviews cited indicate poor storytelling, boring mechanics, technical problems, and misleading marketing.

Bagsterd

SKIP

The reviewer, Baxter, considers Dustborn to be a fundamentally broken game with poor storytelling, inconsistent character mechanics, and numerous bugs that interrupt progression. Despite acknowledging the game's heavy-handed political messaging, the core criticism is that it fails as a functional game even beyond its controversial themes, with eight years of development resulting in a rushed 10-15 hour experience.

GameVault HQ

WAIT

Dustborn is an ambitious narrative-driven game with strong character development and striking visual style, but it's undermined by heavy-handed messaging, repetitive gameplay, and inconsistent pacing. The reviewer recommends it only for players specifically seeking political commentary and character-focused stories, giving it a 5/10.

Smash JT

SKIP

The reviewer harshly criticizes Dustborn as one of the worst games ever made, citing poor execution, cringeworthy dialogue, minimal player engagement (83 concurrent peak on Steam), and an overwhelming focus on leftist political messaging that overshadows gameplay. The game is described as more of a sermon than an entertaining adventure, with the narrative saturated in ideology rather than providing engaging storytelling or meaningful player choice.

TinkerToy

SKIP

TinkerToy finds Dustborn to be an unreviewable game that is neither good nor bad enough to warrant analysis, describing it as a 'nothing burger' that made them uncomfortable. The reviewer abandoned the game after 1-2 hours and strongly discourages others from playing it, even as a pirated experience.

Rowby

SKIP

The reviewer played Dustborn entirely and found it deeply flawed despite occasional good moments. Key issues include awful combat, insufferable characters with non-stop fighting, overwhelming UI design mixing dialogue boxes with subtitles, and a message about generational conflict undermined by the characters being in their 30s-40s rather than young rebels.

MalisityGames

SKIP

The reviewer concludes that Dustborn is simply a bad game despite some good artistic elements and voice acting. Poor writing, flat humor, uncomfortable character dynamics, and confusing gameplay mechanics fail to deliver on an interesting concept.

Foolish Snitch

SKIP

The reviewer finds Dustborn to be a boring, tedious game with a long intro, repetitive gameplay, poor AI, numerous bugs, and insufferable characters that talk incessantly. They couldn't even finish the game due to how unengaging and poorly designed it is overall.

Mr Weenie

SKIP

Mr Weenie found Dustborn to be a boring, politically-driven game that prioritizes messaging over gameplay and storytelling. He describes it as unengaging with poor combat, voice acting, and character development that wastes the player's time and money.

Off Grid TV

SKIP

The reviewer delivers an overwhelmingly negative assessment of Dustborn, characterizing it as a fundamentally flawed experience across all major aspects. They strongly advise against purchasing the game, recommending players avoid it entirely in favor of better alternatives.

JEmpireQueen

SKIP

JEmpireQueen found Dustborn to be an unfocused game that tries to do too many things at once without a compelling core experience. While the story concept has potential and some character moments are enjoyable, the rushed narrative, poor control mechanics, and overall lack of engagement lead to a recommendation to avoid purchasing.

Chitin Chazz

SKIP

The reviewer considers Dustborn one of the worst games they've played, criticizing its character design, gameplay mechanics, narrative delivery, and political messaging as all fundamentally flawed. They argue that even setting aside the controversial political content, the game fails as a functional game with poor game design choices, cheap assets, and mechanics that don't encourage player engagement.

Kevduit

SKIP

The reviewer strongly criticizes Dustborn as one of the worst games of 2024, citing terrible writing, inconsistent story, and annoying characters despite decent artistic visuals and gameplay mechanics. The transcript shows constant frustration with the dialogue, plot logic, and overall experience, with the reviewer sarcastically suggesting viewers watch to avoid playing it themselves.

SirBlackout

SKIP

SirBlackout considers Dustborn one of the worst games he's played, finding it extremely boring with unlikeable characters, poor writing, and awful music. He criticizes the game's narrative choices that reward toxic behavior and found the gameplay so unengaging he fell asleep during it.

Concise Game Reviews

BUY

Dustborn is a narrative-driven adventure game that excels in storytelling, character interactions, and unique dialogue mechanics set in a richly detailed dystopian America. The reviewer gave it an 8/10, praising its complex gameplay centered on language manipulation and political themes, though noting it's a slower-paced game suited for narrative enthusiasts rather than action seekers.